Breaking Stone
by smyle94
Summary: Have you ever wondered what if Edward was just one minute too late when James attacked Bella? Well find out how Edward has to learn to cope with a mental breakdown when it DOES happen,ofcourse if he CAN cope... chapter one
1. Chapter 1

Alternative: Bella and James ending

**Chapter 1:**

Bella stared dumbfounded at the blue TV screen. This was a setup the whole time and she was too stupid to notice. Bella whirled at the sound of laughter. It was James. The sight of the red-eyed beast standing at the back of the room with a remote in his hand started her heart to an uncontrollable pounding that rang through her whole body.

"Bella! Bella!" James called, mimicking her mother on the TV screen. "Hah. And I thought it wouldn't work!"

Bella wanted to cry and at the same time slap herself for actually falling for such a sly move. "Please James. Don't hurt me—" She stopped short as a wide grin grew slowly on James' menacing face.

"What's a hunt without a kill?" James slowly walked towards Bella as she stood there shaking with fear. He picked up Bella's limp arm and carefully narrowed the space between his blood-thirsty mouth and her hand. Bella winced as she felt her skin break and fresh blood trickling out. She felt James lick the cut softly. Bella bit her lip as a tear raced down her cheek and landed neatly on the wrist of her occupied hand. James quickly picked his head up at the sound of her muffled cry.

"Your blood _is_ as good as I dreamed it would be. I would kill you now but that wouldn't be fun after such a long hunt. Don't you think so?" James gazed at Bella with a phony frown marking his deadly face. He stood there waiting for an answer.

"N—no…" Bella didn't know what to say. She just wanted to fall to her knees and cry for infinite mercy.

James carelessly shoved Bella to the ground and he laughed innocently. "I see. Let's play a game, shall we? Every time you answer my questions incorrectly, you _will_ get hurt. Deal?" James stared hardly at Bella.

Bella stared back at him. "James. Please don't do this to me," she breathed.

James unexpectedly stepped on Bella's leg. A loud crack burst through the room and an agonizing pain electrified her body. Bella shrieked the air out of her lungs. Her broken leg twisted limply beside her. James grinned evilly and whispered, "Wrong."

"Question number two," James continued as if nothing had just occurred. "Did I fool you, Bella? Did I lure you to this studio because you were too stupid to know it was all a setup? Did I Bella?"

Bella wanted to reply so badly but all she could do was breathe in and out in quick unsteady breaths. The pain was too much to cope with.

"Bella, you suck at this game. Wrong!" James madly tossed Bella towards the TV where her head cracked against the screen.

Bella cried an ear-piercing scream as blood gushed out of her skull. James laughed a brutal, careless laugh as he eyed the dying human in front of him. He slowly walked to her side and bent his knees so that he was at eye level with her.

"Question number three. If I throw you now across the room at those glass mirrors, will you get hurt?"

"No! Please!"

Another crack echoed as Bella's body lay limply on the ground in front of the cracked mirrors. Blood painted her whole body. Her eyes could only open halfway or so. Between her loose, bloody hair she gazed at the thirsty vampire. For a second, she saw beautiful Edward instead of the monster standing there. Where was he all this time? And instead of a torturing grin, he was smiling that crooked smile that she loved. She reached out for the life that wasn't there. She cried out for the love she was born to have. She heard his silky, perfect voice soothing her, telling her to hold on, not to leave. She wanted to live, for him, but she couldn't. She stared into the imaginary golden eyes of her Edward. She gazed at the beauty that had once been all hers for one last time and with all the emotions she had ever kept secretly and unnoticeably inside of her, she whispered, "I love you."

The next second everything went black and the only noise she was left hearing was the slurping and sloshing sounds a vampire would make when sucking out the last spots of blood from a dead human body.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Edward stepped off the plane one perfect step after another. Emmett and Carlisle followed at his heels. They had all fallen into an awkward silence as they paced evenly towards the airport.

As they gaited, Edward's face changed from sincere to horror in less than a second. "Bella!" he cried and obediently without second thoughts, the three of them raced to find Alice and Rosalie.

Edward soon eyed Alice and Jasper zipping through the airport, searching. Then both of them started arguing vigorously till Edward finally reached them. "Where is she? What happened? How could you be so ignorant, Alice? Where was the last place you saw her-." Edward haulted mid-sentence as Alice's face grew graver and graver. "No!" he gasped as he examined her mind. She had seen the future. Bella was in great pain.

"James," they all whispered at the same time.

Alice's forehead creased as she concentrated on the picture painted in her head. She wasn't able to find out where Bella was because her premonitions only showed Bella's gory face and James' menacing eyes as he made evil decisions second after second. Edward was shaking her madly as he kept asking her for more details. Carlisle stood by Edward and whispered for him to calm down. People eyed them peculiarly and walked quicker as they passed them in the airport. Someone even came up to them and asked if they needed any help. Carlisle was about to speak but Edward quickly shooed him off just by staring at the man brutally and growling. Edward began to grow warier as he noticed no gain of knowledge in Alice's unsteady mind. He finally stopped shaking Alice and eventually let go of her shoulders and dropped his arms to his side as if paralyzed.

For the first time since Edward had met her at the airport, Alice finally spoke. She was in great pain as she finally mouthed out the words. "Edward, she's d-dying-." Alice snapped her eyes shut as another scene developed in her mind. This time, the mirrors and walls filled the background of the image. "Oh my gosh, Edward! The dance studio!"

Edward had already exited the airport and was zipping through the crowds by the time the words came out of her open mouth.

The Cullens sprinted past the sidewalks, not caring what pedestrians thought of them. Edward noticed himself crying as he thought deeper and deeper about what would happen to him if he was too late for Bella. After a while, he erased that whole idea from his mind due to the fact that it was causing him too much pain in his already aching heart.

"Edward," Alice whispered quietly, "We won't make it. Her heart rate is decreasing drastically by the second. Edward, please listen."

Edward continued to ignore her even though the images that were displayed in Alice's mind were also whirring through his. He examined each one carefully as each of them reflected Bella in different ways, all in unbelievable pain. Edward's eyes bulged and watered as he noticed Bella's image growing worse and worse. He smashed and grinded his pearly white teeth together as revenge spread through Edward's body like food coloring in water. He was destined to kill James. Whether Bella were to make it or not, James was sure to die.

"Edward! Listen to me! It's impossible to make it there in time! Edward, snap out of it and listen to me!" Alice's eyes grew with horror. She knew Edward was going to have a huge mental scar when he finally realizes he was too late.

Relief stroked Edward as the dance studio came to view. On the other hand, Alice's face grew gloomier and gloomier. "There it is," growled Emmett, "Nobody messes with my little sister."

Without warning, Alice fell to the ground on her knees and smashed her hands over her eyes as she screamed. Jasper stopped by her side and started soothing her though he knew what Alice was seeing. He himself wasn't exactly ready to see Bella so instead he stayed by Alice.

Edward crashed through the front door of the studio and froze midstride as he eyed the pale white being that lay dead and twisted in front of him. Edward's knees instantly gave way and he landed with a loud thud by her side. He cradled the tortured body then let out a loud yell as he sounded out the name of his loved one. He was too late. How could he be too late? He never had thought that that was even possible. He moaned as he gently placed his head on the still chest. He whispered Bella's name over and over as he shook his head in disbelief. He then fell into an uncontrollable wale. What he lived for disappeared. Everything he had ever cared for disappeared along with it. He himself wanted to disappear because he knew deep down that whatever it was he lived for was gone along with the body that lay in front of him. The last thing he wished for now was to die.

His family stood behind him, all quietly weeping to themselves except for Emmett who continued to punch the wall over and over in different places as he growled James' name over and over. Carlisle slowly placed a firm hand on Edward and tried to calm him down. Edward shook it off and continued to weep in a quieter tone. Alice tumbled through the door and fell to her knees by Edward, gasping and wailing.

"I'm so sorry! It's entirely my fault! Edward! I'm sorry! Ple-." she stopped talking and continued to cry as she stared at Bella's maimed form. They stayed there weeping and muttering to themselves till Edward suddenly stopped. He studied Bella. Her brown and bloody hair covered her face and her leg lay broken along with the rest of her body. Her skull had cracked leaking out blood that had been wiped clean from her head. He grew angry as he thought of how that blood was now filled inside a satisfied vampire's belly.

He knew now what was left for him to do. This vengeance was his last resort. After that, nothing.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Everyone in the studio was dead silent. Edward was on his knees staring ahead of him with a blank, empty look in his dark eyes. Emmett and Jasper were quietly whispering to each other in the far corner of the studio. Alice sat in another corner with her eyes tightly closed while she rubbed her temples with two wary fingers. Carlisle was busy on the phone with the police, reporting the tragedy and the finding of the body.

Edward began to scan the room then stopped when he noticed a note taped to the right of broken mirrors that lined the back of the studio. Sluggishly, he stood and fumbled toward the paper. He grimaced as he gazed at the shattered mirrors that were painted red from blood that smelled so familiar to his nose. He pulled the note of the mirrors and read it. He read it a second time then turned to his family. They were all staring at him, even Carlisle who had just clicked end on his cell phone.

"I have to be somewhere," Edward said firmly. He headed toward the door with the note crushed in his strong fist.

"The note?" Emmett began but stopped when Edward past him and paced out the door. Carlisle sighed unexpectedly.

"James isn't finished. Edward is going to meet him. I know it," Carlisle reported.

"I'm going," Emmett declared. He began for the door till Alice cut him short.

"No, Emmett. This is Edward's fight." Emmett looked down at his little sister's dark eyes then sighed and walked back to Jasper.

Edward paused at the gate to the park. Children and their parents scattered around the place, all of them having the fun of their lives, something Edward was sure he would never experience ever again. He remembered the reason why and quickly broke his gaze from the children and walked towards the trees that lined the back of the park. His fists were clenched at his side and he tried to make himself unnoticeable by putting on a fake smile. He was relieved to find the sky was overly clouded because he didn't have to worry about covering his skin that is known to sparkle in the sun. Little by little, more trees began to surround him as he walked deeper and deeper into the dense forest. He took a deep breath through his nose and his eyes snapped wide open as the smell of a vampire filled the surrounding air.

"James," he growled.

Laughter filled Edward's ears. He turned around and there stood his enemy. There stood the enemy that destroyed his future, his life, and himself. James snickered as he studied Edward's tear-stained face. "So I see you've visited the studio. My time with you-know-who was too boring. I thought killing you as well would make this hunt much more interesting. Don't you think? Killing two in one hunt, not bad," James noticed he was beginning to lose Edward's attention so he quickly asked, "Poor her. Her sweet heart wasn't there to save her when she was being tortured. I was hoping you would make it so I could take you both down at the same time." James smiled evilly, which started Edward's adrenaline. Edward lunged for the vampire and landed on grass. James' foot stamped on Edward's back and his foot pressed down to hold the struggling vampire still.

"You're no match against me, Edward. I thought I was dealing with a pro here. You're as bad as Bella."

The sound of Bella's name in James' mouth got Edward going to an uncontrollable roar. He grabbed James leg by twisting his hand back and pulled with unimaginable power. James grunted as he crashed to the ground next to Edward. At the speed of light, Edward jumped up and his leg went flying toward James who expertly grabbed it and pulled it back. James jumped onto Edward's body and began ripping at his stomach. They both struggled and shoved at each other vigorously till James used his razor-sharp teeth to rip at Edward's arm. Edward let out a loud moan and reached to seize James' stony neck. James mimicked his move and grasped Edward's neck. They both lay there, eyeballing each other, each one only seconds away from possible death. James carelessly spat at Edward's face and began to mumble.

"Have I ever told you how tasty Bella's blood was?" He smiled and breathed out in Edward's face. The scent of Bella's blood occupied Edward's nostrils. His grasp on James' neck weakened for just a second as memories flowed through his scarred mind. That was enough time for James to shove Edward's arm away and have a stronger hold on Edward's neck.

"Weak!" he spat out at him.

Edward moaned as he was lost in his memories. The first time he saw Bella in the lunchroom. How she struggled to make him happy in biology. When he saved her from the rapists. How she finally figured out he was a vampire. When they both sat in the meadow and he overreacted. Their first kiss.

Edward mumbled Bella's name over and over and his distant eyes snapped back into reality when a sharp pain shocked him as his neck was twisted viciously. He yelled and forced the form off of him. A loud crack sounded as the body hit a nearby tree and cracked it in half. Bad language flowed through James' mouth as he stood up and rubbed his back. He sprinted back toward Edward and his deadly teeth targeted Edward's neck. The images that Edward had seen from Alice's mind of Bella's last minutes came to life in his mind once again. Then, something else filled his thoughts.

It was Bella's voice along with an image. She was talking to him and Edward recognized it was a premonition that had followed the last one Edward had seen from Alice's mind. In it, Bella was laying sprawled in front of the broken mirrors in the studio. She was looking up at somebody but her knotted hair was covering the rest of her face. She had her eyes opened only halfway and tears were falling from them. She was gazing up as if she was seeing an image and she said the words that made Edward filled with new hope. She yelled with the last of her energy, "I love you." Her eyes then fell closed and she fell still with a satisfied smile on her face.

Edward looked up just in time to see James rushing at him. Edward's eyes were filled with revenge and he let out a deafening roar as he used the last of his power to charge at the terrified murderer.


End file.
